Our 12 Most Popular Stories This Week

Charlie Trotter, London, tying roasts, frying fish

This week, we spoke to a couple of our favorite chefs on all topics from the absurdity of authenticity in their cuisine to how much more fun it is to go to college football games than class, and of course, why not to open a restaurant. More practical advice: tying a roast (the why behind the how) and where to go before or after a show at Madison Square Garden without getting lost. Don't worry, we've gotcha.

We said farewell to a icon of the modern culinary world, Charlie Trotter. But the best way to celebrate his work is by getting yourself into a kitchen or a great restaurant this weekend. Here are this week's most popular stories.

Our 12 Most Popular Stories This Week

It’s a masochistic love...for those who love it

With a cooking style that blends pork pyrotechnics and a deep knowledge of New England fishing and farming, Tony Maws has become one of Boston's kitchen heroes. His Craigie on Main in Cambridge has roots in France, where Maws worked before opening the smaller Bistrot in 2002. In his latest monthly letter from Boston, he discusses the challenges of opening his new restaurant, The Kirkland...

Here are the world’s deadliest dishes

Bad fish and blind dates notwithstanding, going out to eat is usually a safe affair. But that’s no reason to get soft. At restaurants around the world, dangerous dishes challenge diners’ courage and constitutions. From a Las Vegas institution that prides itself on its death toll to a Korean octopus appetizer that literally strangles the eater, these are the world...

Grab some butcher's twine and truss like a boss

Before we teach you how to tie a roast (we use the word "teach" loosely here), don't you want to know why you're tying up a nice piece of meat in the first place? You don't? You're walking into this whole roast thing totally blindly, trusting that the butcher's twine has some greater purpose you're not even curious about? Good, that's what we thought. Grab...

OK, hear us out NYC. There is good food near MSG.

Last week, we brought you a bunch of places to eat and drink near the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. Now we take on the food near Madison Square Garden, which has long had a reputation for not being the best food neighborhood in basically all of Manhattan. But if you look past the chain hamburger sellers and that giant Sbarro, you’ll find some really interesting things less...

A hearty kale salad packed with tangy-sweet flavor

Blogger Wendy Polisi of CookingQuinoa is a master of the tiny little super-seed, which is why we were excited to receive a quinoa cooking book with recipes we can't make to wait, including this hearty fall salad with lots of healthy garlic and fresh roasted cranberries.

A step-by-step guide to perfect fried fish fillets

Fish and chips may seem like a simple dish, but to pull off a version worth washing down with a pint we're turning to Portland, OR gastropub Raven and Rose. Executive Chef David Padberg loaned us his expert step-by-step technique.

Handsome, flashy, warm and ice cold cool in the UK

A clutch of design savvy restaurants have opened in London this Autumn — from retro-designed Indian athletic clubs to ultra-modern towers of steel and glass. They all offer eye-popping atmosphere that competes with the city's five star fare. Here are seven of our favorites.

Defining the authentic meaning of an oft-used word

Andy Ricker is the guy behind a mini dynasty of restaurants and lounges that basically recreate the food of Thailand to their most-authentic, blazing extremes. On the heels a stellar press run that helped skyrocket the book to the top of the Amazon cookbook rankings, Ricker sends us this essay on the meaning of authentic. Read on.

Study shows processed meats affect male fertility

Oh bacon, you’ve gone too far. There may be a serious reason to avoid processed meats, such as bacon, sausage and ham, and it has nothing to do with obesity or heart disease. The frightening results of a new study, after the jump.

Chicago chef/restaurateur left an enormous legacy

The Chicago Tribute reports that Charlie Trotter has died at age 54. He was found unresponsive in his Lincoln Park home and pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Trotter ran his eponymous restaurant for nearly 25 years before closing in September 2012. We were there for the final service that featured cooking from some of his most-trusted alums, many of whom have taken...

Chicago chef recalls some epic tailgates, parties

In Proud Alum, we talk with a chef about their memories of tailgates past, and ask for their best parking lot recipe. Up this week, Chicago chef, former Top Chef winner and party girl extraordinaire, University of Michigan alum Stephanie Izard.

A sweet autumn twist on a classic French dessert

Swap apples for sweet potatoes to give this classic French dessert a Thanksgiving twist. The caramelized potatoes will be sweet and slightly chewy with a soft center. Your guests will never know just how easy it was to throw together. Serve it with fresh whipped cream, ice cream or a spiked caramel drizzle for a dessert that looks as good as it tastes.